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Frankel Colt Looks Royal Material In the Heron

Sandown's Listed Heron S. on Thursday offered some Royal Ascot clues, with Shadwell's Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) maintaining his unbeaten record on his first try on turf for the John and Thady Gosden stable. Having scored on debut on Newcastle's Tapeta Mar. 16 and over this mile trip on Kempton's Polytrack Apr. 5, the half-brother to last year's G1 Sun Chariot S., G1 Falmouth S. and G2 Duke of Cambridge S. heroine Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was restrained in rear early by Jim Crowley having been drawn widest of all. Making his move up the centre of the track in the straight, the 9-2 shot was in front a furlong from home and saw off Bullace (GB) (Toronado {Ire}) in the run to the line, where he had half a length to spare over the 11-8 favourite and Listed Feilden S. winner Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). That Godolphin representative, who forged half a length ahead of the game Bullace, comes out of the contest with credit racing under a three-pound penalty.

This race has taken on something of a G1 St James's Palace S. trial in recent years and Mostahdaf came through with realistic claims for that June 15 Royal Ascot prize. It was the Gosden stable which had been responsible for the last two winners of this in Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who went on to success in the St James's Palace, and King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) who was a possibly unlucky second in that prestige event in 2019. “I don't think the ground was to his liking as it was testing out there,” John Gosden said. “He has shown a lot of courage, as he has come from last and got in a battle. He will have learnt a lot from that, as it is the first time he has ever raced on turf. We will see how is in the next couple of weeks and go from there. As Jim [Crowley] said, he had nothing to race with out there and he was slightly looking around. It was a great run and we will see whether we stick to a mile, which I think we will for the moment, and we will see where we go from there. The St James's Palace Stakes is not necessarily punching too high, as he has got a lot of class. It is nobody's fault, but he would just like to run on something called good ground.”

Nazeef, whose achievements in the top league all came as a 4-year-old, was the first indication that Shadwell have a broodmare of significance in the Listed Garnet S. winner Handassa. She is a half to the GII San Gabriel S. and GII Mathis Brothers Mile S. winner Desert Stone (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and his full-brother Euginio (Ire), who was third in the G3 Earl of Sefton S. She is a granddaughter of Star, who produced the Bahamian Bounty (GB) group 1-winning full-siblings Pastoral Pursuits (GB) and Goodricke (GB). Her 2020 colt is by Dark Angel (Ire).

CASUMO BEST ODDS GUARANTEED HERON S.-Listed, £37,000, Sandown, 5-20, 3yo, 8fT, 1:50.29, sf.
1–MOSTAHDAF (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Handassa (GB) (SW-Ire), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Starstone (GB), by Diktat (GB)
3rd Dam: Star (GB), by Most Welcome (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Limited (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Jim Crowley. £20,983. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $47,926. *1/2 to Nazeef (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 7-9 1/2f, Hwt. Older Mare-Eng at 7-9 1/2f, MG1SW-Eng, $409,959.
2–Highland Avenue (Ire), 129, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Lumiere (GB), by Shamardal. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £7,955.
3–Bullace (GB), 126, c, 3, Toronado (Ire)–Redstart (GB), by Cockney Rebel (Ire). O/B-Mr A D G Oldrey & Mr G C Hartigan (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. £3,981.
Margins: HF, HF, 4HF. Odds: 4.50, 1.38, 8.50.
Also Ran: Nando Parrado (GB), Mithras (GB), Imperial Sands (Ire), Invincible Swagger (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result.

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Brigadier Gerard S. To Be Run In Memory Of Mercer

The names of Joe Mercer and Brigadier Gerard will be united once more with the announcement that Sandown's Group 3 contest which carries the name of the great horse will this year be run in memory of his former jockey, who died on Monday.

Set to be run on Thursday, May 27 during Sandown's elite evening meeting, the 10-furlong race will now be named The Coral Brigadier Gerard Stakes (In memory of Joe Mercer).

Brigadier Gerard (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}), trained by Dick Hern for his owner/breeders John and Jean Hislop, was beaten just once in an 18-race career. His Group 1 victories included the 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace S. of 1971 as well as the following season's Eclipse S. and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., as well as consecutive wins in the Champion S. Mercer was in the saddle for all of his 18 starts.

“We were deeply saddened to hear of news of Joe Mercer's death earlier this week, and are pleased to be able to mark the occasion in the race which honours the horse he was most famously associated with,” said Phil White, regional director of Jockey Club Racecourses.

“Our thanks go to Coral for their assistance in facilitating this and we hope the race will give racing fans and the industry a chance to remember one of the greatest and most stylish jockeys the sport has seen.”

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Thursday Observations: Aga Khan Blueblood Introducted at ParisLongchamp

8.25 ParisLongchamp, Debutantes, €27,000, 3yo, f, 8fT
DOLIA (FR) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is the second foal out of The Aga Khan's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic heroine Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) from the celebrated family of Daylami (Ire) and Dalakhani (Ire). Alain de Royer-Dupre also has charge of the February-foaled bay, whose opponents include the Niarchos Family's La Fiamma (War Front), a Pascal Bary trainee who is the first foal out of the GIII Modesty H. winner Faufiler (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and therefore a granddaughter of the illustrious Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}).

7.25 Sandown, Novice, £9,050, 3yo, 9f 209yT
DIAVOLO (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the third foal out of the G1 Nassau S. winner Sultanina (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and the first to make the track for his breeder Normandie Stud. Representing the Roger Varian stable, the February-foaled bay is the from the family of the leading G1 Epsom Derby contender Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

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Adlerflug’s Alenquer Prevails In the Classic Trial

One of the lesser-fancied 3-year-old colts in the line-up for Friday's G3 bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown, M M Stables' Alenquer (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) nevertheless emerged front and centre with no hint of fluke as he split the Godolphin duo of Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Runner-up in the Listed Ascendant S. on soft ground at Haydock in September, the William Haggas-trained 25-1 shot was sent forward from the break by Tom Marquand and made certain that Yibir was unable to enjoy an easy time there. Attacking that rival three out with stamina assured as Adayar tried to emerge from a pocket back in the pack, the bay had first run on the imposing Charlie Appleby second-string and kept galloping relentlessly to score by half a length. Adayar, the race's major eye-catcher, had a neck to spare over his stablemate Yibir at the line. “He had only had two runs last year and the second was on horrific ground at Haydock, so he's certainly not the finished article yet,” Marquand said. “Every time he was joined, he fought back and is still learning. He'd never really had the chance to flatten out and run to the line before, so he's still quite raw. He's obviously got plenty of talent and promises to stay an extra couple of furlongs, but when he straightens out it might be that he shows us more speed than we thought.”

Alenquer had impressed when winning by 2 3/4 lengths on testing ground over seven furlongs at Newbury in August before meeting his match in the smart Hannon trainee Fancy Man (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) in the Ascendant, but remained unexposed in what is widely-regarded as the best renewal of this Derby prep for some years. With the G3 Zetland S. scorer and 7-2 favourite Lone Eagle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 4 1/2 lengths back in fourth and the unbeaten Listed Criterium du Languedoc winner Belloccio (Fr) (Belardo {Ire}), the G3 Solario S. winner Etonian (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) and Ballydoyle's Sir Lucan (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) well beaten this stood up to its billing. It also comes in the month that the German bloodstock industry was hit by the early demise of Adlerflug, Germany's champion sire last year who was responsible for the talented In Swoop (Ire).

Charlie Appleby said of the second and third, “Adayar and Yibir have finished off their races well and I am very pleased with their efforts. Yibir has stuck at it all the way to the line, while Adayar stayed on well. They have put up two very solid performances and a step up in distance could be on the cards for both colts, who look nice middle-distance horses for the rest of the season.” Yibir's jockey William Buick added, “I'm delighted with him–he ran a great race and as last year he got better with racing I expect it will be the same this year. I loved the way he battled back and he'll definitely get further. The runner-up is a lovely horse too and I guess he could step up as well.”

Alenquer is the second foal out of Wild Blossom (Ger) (Areion {Ger}), who is a half-sister to the Listed Junioren-Preis winner Wilder Wein (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}). This is the family of the Hong Kong champion stayer Mr Medici (Ire) (Medicean {GB}) and group-winning top producers White Rose (Ger) (Platini {Ger}) and Wild Side (Ger) (Sternkonig {Ire}), with the latter being responsible for the G2 Park Hill S. winner and G1 Prix Vermeille runner-up Wild Coco (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}). The dam's 2-year-old filly is by Zarak (Fr), while her yearling colt by Galiway (GB) was a €100,000 purchase by Haras de Meautry at the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale.

Friday, Sandown, Britain
BET365 CLASSIC TRIAL-G3, £45,000, Sandown, 4-23, 3yo, 9f 209yT, 2:12.13, gd.
1–ALENQUER (FR), 127, c, 3, by Adlerflug (Ger)
1st Dam: Wild Blossom (Ger), by Areion (Ger)
2nd Dam: Wind In Her Hair (Ger), by Turtle Island (Ire)
3rd Dam: Waitotara (Ire), by Habitat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€18,000 Wlg '18 ARQDE; 80,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-M M Stables; B-Gestut Romerhof (FR); T-William Haggas; J-Tom Marquand. £25,520. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $46,562. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Adayar (Ire), 127, c, 3, Frankel (GB)–Anna Salai, by Dubawi (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £9,675.
3–Yibir (GB), 127, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Rumh (Ger), by Monsun (Ger). O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. £4,842.
Margins: HF, NK, 3 3/4. Odds: 25.00, 8.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Lone Eagle (Ire), Belloccio (Fr), Trawlerman (Ire), Etonian (Ire), Sir Lucan (Ire), Recovery Run (GB), Irish Legend (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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